A/N: I was going to delay updating this chapter till next week, but I got bored of uni work and couldn't help it. I actually really like this chapter, so I hope you all do too! Please let me know what you think in the reviews if you have time.
Aang'sPOV:
I never thought I'd see the man that killed Gyatso again. Yet here I am. Staring down the man whose hand is clasped around the back of Hakoda's collar as his other hand is wrapped around a silver barrelled gun, pointing it into their father's head. I almost puke right then and there as my body starts shaking with either fear or anger I don't know.
I clench my hands when I hear Katara's heavy breathing behind me as I recall that her pain is far more fresh. Recent. 'This is the first time they've seen their mother's killer. It must hurt to see him free and ready to steal another parent from them. Spirits knows it's killing me.' I take in a deep breath and straighten my back.
"Who's the runt?" Yon Rha spits as he digs the gun deeper into Hakoda's skull. But despite the situation, his anxious eyes are on me. Before we entered the house Sokka gave me a quick rundown of the role Hakoda had in my case. This man. No, this stranger. Tried to protect me. Even now, his face is etched with worry despite me being the reason for his wife's death.
I swallow and avert my gaze to the man that took Gyatso away from me. That murdered all those children. White hot fury burns my skin and I instantly close my eyes to get my feelings under control. Opening them, I look straight into the man's unforgiving eyes. The murderer that has forgotten my face, while his was seared into my brain.
"I'm the runt you're looking for. I'll come quietly if you let him go." I bargain as I jerk my head towards Hakoda. Amber eyes flicker between me and his hostage.
"Is that so?" He jeers, before looking straight past me to Sokka. "I should kill your dad right now for trying to pull such a stunt." Yon-Rha growls as his finger rests on the trigger. With one swift movement, I pull my hat off and drop it to the ground, revealing the tip of my arrow. This silences the man as his finger eases off the trigger.
"You certainly look like an airbender, but can you bend like one?" He muses as he motions for me to do some bending. I can't help but glance at Hakoda.
"You have nothing to show him boy." The councilman urges, only to be rewarded with a swift kick in the ribs.
I swallow thickly, knowing that if I reveal myself then Kya's death would be for absolutely nothing. But there's nothing I can do about it when I hear gasps of worry from the siblings as they step forward to stand by my side. With a flick of my wrist, a small ball of air swirls in the middle of the room for several seconds before I drop my hand to my side. But somehow this gang member proves to be smarter than I gave him credit for.
"One last thing. Tell me something that only the scared little boy would know." Yon Rha voices smugly, his tone sly.
The lump in my throat is back. Horrid, traumatic memories break through a dam I've tried so hard to keep closed. It snacks through a crack that this man has unwillingly created. But slender fingers rest at the base of my spine which plasters a temporary seal over the crack and with a harsh swallow I return my attention on the firebender.
"You killed Gyatso. You killed a man that refused to fight as you and the others shot bullets at him. Even when he died you still shot him." I thunder as the crack re-opens and widens.
I feel my tattoos glow bright white as I glare at the man with uncontrolled hatred.
"Even after I escaped you set the place on fire. You killed hundreds of children." I shout as the air violently picks up around me, pushing everyone to the walls. I feel my feet lifting off the ground as furniture starts flying around the room. "And you had the audacity to tell me not to run." The scream rips out of my throat as I bend a slice of air towards the man.
He ducks just as it cuts a table into two. I hear a shout, but it gets lost in the wind. It's a moment later when I figure out what the shout was for. 'A warning.' I think with a gasp of pain as I look down at the painful throbbing in my abdomen to find blood seeping through my clothing. The sight of red leaves me as queasy as it always does and I exit the Avatar State without conscious thought.
I drop to the ground on all fours as I try to breathe through my nostrils as agony rips through me. When I look up, I find Hakoda and Sokka crouching behind me. But Katara, has a knife to her throat. The sight almost pushes me into the Avatar State once more, until Yon Rha shakes his head slightly at me. It's then I realise he's not the only gang member here. Another three are standing on the stairs with their guns pointed at me.
"Well, what did you know? I expected to catch a boy genius, not a genius and the Avatar." Yon Rha announces with a wide smirk. "Get up." He orders after a moment.
"Let her go first." I demand as I painfully get to my feet.
"I think I'm going to keep this one for leverage. Kill the other two." The firebender orders. My eyes flicker white again and with an unconscious thump of my foot, both Sokka and Hakoda disappear into the ground beneath. Hopefully into the basement. Yon Rha scowls at me before jerking his head towards his colleagues.
"Grab him. And keep a close eye on him. The Avatar is the world's strongest bender for a reason." He barks as he pushes Katara ahead of him. I watch her almost trip before she catches herself. Anger flickers through me at the insensitive treatment, but when I see the man pick up his gun and press it to her back, I close my mouth.
"Cuff them." I hear him call out as he throws two pairs of steel cuffs to one of the gang members after he's opened the van door. Two metal cells stare back at us until we're each thrown into one before they cuff us to a metal pole. Once they've closed the cell doors, they finally drop the guns they had trained on us. A final slam of the van door plunges us in darkness. I drop my head into my hands when I hear the rev of the engine. 'I'm such an idiot.'
"Aang?" The slight tremble in her voice reminds me of how royally I screwed up.
"Are you Ok? Did they hurt you?" I ask, sounding a lot raspier than I anticipated. I hear her shift until I spot her free hand resting on one of the metal bars.
"I'm perfectly fine-" She says, but I'm quick to interrupt her.
"This is hardly fine." I retort as bitterness towards my mistakes drowns me. A second later her hand drops from the metal bar, out of my sight.
"You're right. This isn't fine. What...what did you do to my Dad and Sokka?" The waterbender asks unsurely. I purse my lips.
"I... don't really know. I'm not really in control of myself when I'm in the Avatar State. I just knew I had to protect them. I'm hoping I just dropped them into the basement below the house." I answer sheepishly.
"So that's what the glowing eyes and tattoos are called, the Avatar State?" The healer asks. I release a shallow breath and nod.
"Yeah." I mumble.
"How's your stomach?" Katara asks a beat later. I glance down at said area and nausea hits me once more when I become aware of the sticky feeling of blood and pain. I swallow and glance up, surprised to find the girl's face pressed as close as she can get to me. Her eyes fixed on the dark patch of my hoodie.
"It will be fine." I lie. Her eyes flash in frustration.
"You had a bullet shot through you. Edge closer towards me so I can have a look." The waterbender orders. Begrudgingly, I shuffle as close to her as I can. Without a word she hikes up the end of my jacket to expose my abdomen. A sharp intake of breath greets my ears and I gingerly spare her a glance to find her usual chocolate skin paling.
"You need a hospital. There's not enough water in the air for me to be able to heal you. Not to mention the bullet could still be inside." The healer lists off as she chews her lip. "Press your hand over the wound while I try to bandage it with something." She instructs as she starts taking off her own jacket.
I gulp and try to do as she says, but as soon as my hand makes contact with the open gash and the warm slick feeling of blood greets me, I start to choke.
"Aang? Aang!" Katara shouts as she reaches past the bars to cup my cheek. "What's wrong? Is it the pain?" She fires out fearfully. I tightly screw my eyes shut.
"No, no. I just...don't like touching it." I mutter. I can almost see the frown working it's way up her face as she echoes my words back.
"Touching..." She murmurs in thought and when I open my eyes, I see her gaze flickering to my stomach. The waterbender glimpses back up at me as she tilts her head to the side.
"Are you…talking about the blood?" Katara queries with furrowed eyebrows. I jerk my head in a stiff nod. Her lips part in surprise which I suppose is expected since you wouldn't expect someone who cuts themselves to have haemophobia. "You..." She stalls, as if trying to word it right. "...have a phobia of blood?" She asks hesitantly. I turn my head away in shame.
"Yeah." I whisper in humiliation. Her hand appears under my chin, gently urging me to look back at her.
"Hey, hey. That's nothing to be embarrassed about, especially considering all you've been through. I just didn't think...I mean, cutting involves blood." The waterbender falters as she struggles to get the words out. I don't blame her. I'm a huge disgrace after all. I bite my lip and look away. It takes a few seconds before it dawns on her. "Oh gosh Aang, don't tell me that you..." Katara trails off, sounding just as appalled as I imagined she would, but it still stings. More than it should.
"I'm sorry." I mutter thickly. Immediately her hand snaps forward to grab my hand.
"Hey, no apologies. Let me just..." I hear her lick her lips before continuing. "... I'll just bandage you up." The healer murmurs as she rests her hand just above my wound. "I have to provide pressure, so it's going to hurt, ok?" Katara warns and at my nod she starts wrapping her jacket tightly around me.
I gasp at the intensified pain. I feel her wince in regret as she flickers apologetic eyes to me before finishing her tying. Her hand comes away bloody and I have to push down my urge to retch at the sight of it.
"That won't do much good for long, especially with the amount of blood that's seeping through. As soon as I get my hands on some water, I'll heal you up." The waterbender explains as she bites her lip before leaning back slightly.
"Thanks Katara." I say with a small smile. She returns it briefly before sagging her shoulders.
"Why didn't you tell me you were the Avatar?" She finally asks. 'Shoot.' I reach a hand up, ready to tug my hat down until I remember that I threw it off at their house. Instead, I run a hand over my hair.
"I wasn't allowed to tell anyone." I mumble.
"Who said that?" The girl asks with a frown. I part my lips, before closing them again. When I don't reply, her frown deepens. "Aang, is it really that hard for you to talk to me?" Katara whispers thickly. I cringe and roll my bottom lip between my teeth.
"My guardian." I mutter. I see her blink twice as she shakes her head in confusion.
"Why does he have any say in who you tell?" The waterbender questions in bewilderment. I stare hard at the ground for several moments, recalling the rare moment that I was able to earthbend back in their house while Roku has always been able to control that element with such ease.
"Because it's not just my secret. It's his too." I utter reluctantly. I watch as her confusion turns into misunderstanding and then shock.
"Wait, you're saying he's also the...?" I shush her before she can finish her sentence.
"You can't tell anyone. No one should know. He'll be in danger. For now, all the Triple Z knows is that there's only one. Let that be me until we figure out a way to get out of here." I explain quickly. Katara's jaw drops as she stares at me.
"Why is there even two to start with?!" She asks in a hushed voice. I shrug.
"It's the older one's duty to train the younger one before he dies. A new one always appears once the Avatar is around 60. If he dies before that, then the new Avatar has to figure it out on his own." I explain, echoing back Roku's words that he repeatedly used to get me to train with him. The woman shakes her head in disbelief as she leans further back.
"That's...a lot to take in. So have you mastered all the elements then?" Katara probes. My eyes drop to the floor once more.
"No. It was the last thing on my mind after everything. I can't even bend earth without being in the Avatar State and even then I'm not in control of myself. Firebending gives me these horrible flashes. But, waterbending is nice. I just never invested any time in practising it. And the Avatar State...scares me." I murmur, lost in my thoughts. The waterbender chews her lip for a long minute before sighing.
"Aang, from what I read, being the Avatar is a great honour. You get to protect lots of people." Katara urges, but I turn away from her slightly.
"I never wanted to be this. I couldn't even protect those closest to me, how can I protect everyone else?" I say, my voice shakes as I close my eyes.
"You were just a child when it happened. When you've had your training you'll be able to-" I cut her off before she can finish.
"I don't want to! I don't want any part of this. I've had enough of all these responsibilities, pushing me to do things I don't want to do. It shouldn't be my problem to fix the world when I'm still broken!" I shout as the air stirs slightly around me. I inhale deeply when I feel my abdomen pulsate with pain.
"Aang..." Her soft voice trails off as I rest my head against one of the metal bars.
"And now I dragged you into my mess. Spirits, if I had trained and didn't lose control, I could've saved you from being stuck in here." I berate myself angrily. A second later, I feel a warm hand on my knee.
"I don't need you to save me. All I ever needed was for you to talk to me. I enjoy being around you. Maybe more than you realise." Katara murmurs gently as her eyebrows pinch together.
A lump of emotion lodges in my throat at her heartfelt words. I try to swallow past it, but the words are still stuck at the back of my mouth. I feel her squeeze my knee lightly, before withdrawing.
"I...you do?" I stumble out. A soft smile captures her features as her eyes crinkle with kindness.
"Always. Since we've met." She confirms with a nod. I can't maintain eye contact with her and have to glance away. "Come on, let's figure a way out of here." Katara decides after a moment of silence. I flicker my gaze back to her with a frown.
"How? You can't waterbend and even if I tried to correct a mini tornado that wouldn't do much but get us thrown about and hurt." I point out.
"I saw how powerful you were in the Avatar State. I don't think you realised, but you deflected fire from one of those benders. If you can just melt the chains we can get out of here."
"I told you I haven't had training, I can't just go into the Avatar State whenever I want to. Besides, it's dangerous." I stress firmly, but the girl shakes her head.
"I've noticed you enter it whenever you're upset. Plus, waiting for them to take us wherever they have in mind is more dangerous." The waterbender points out, but it does little to convince me.
"Are you asking me to get upset?" I ask with a quirked eyebrow which immediately elicits a flush from the girl as she vigorously shakes her head.
"Of course not! It's just that the Avatar State is the only way we can get out of here at this point." Katara says before pausing, as if deliberating on her next words. "Even...even if I hate seeing you like that." She admits quietly. That earns my attention as I take the moment to scrutinise her.
"Like what?" I ask with furrowed eyebrows. I see her swallow as she tears her gaze away from me.
"In that much pain. It's hard to watch someone you care about hurting like that." Katara explains, her voice raw and tangled with emotion as she pulls her knees to her chest. I bite the inside of my cheek as I release a breath.
"I look that bad, huh?" I joke weakly. Immediately, the healer's head snaps up.
"That's not what I meant!" She protests brashly as she moves to kneel. "When you're in the Avatar State, you look..." She stalls, but I easily pick up from where she left off.
"Angry? Hating the world? Ready to tear up the nearest thing to me? Filled with tremendous hurt? Because those are the things that I feel whenever I enter it. It's why I try hard not to get upset." I list off simply as Katara chews her lip.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested it." The waterbender apologises with downcast eyes.
"No, you're right. It is the only thing that's going to get us out of this. I just don't want you nearby in case I hurt you." I confess, making the girl smile warmly.
"You wouldn't hurt me." Katara reassures as she stretches out a hand to take mine. Her fingers clasp gently around mine, giving me a fuzzy, comforting sensation.
"You don't know that." I say at last. I feel her give me a light squeeze.
"Yes, I do." The healer insists strongly. I open my mouth, ready to convince her otherwise, but sounds of rattling stop me in my tracks and a second later the van doors swing open.
"Gun on the girl and boy. Grab them out with their cuffs on." I hear one of the men shout. Moments later we're roughly thrust out of the van and I immediately grimace at the sight before me. Weapons. Lots and lots of weapons. We're pushed into a huge warehouse, filled with dozens of gang members. Some training and others manufacturing.
"This is the boy." I hear Yon Rha introduce. I glance to the side to find a middle-aged man with long hair and strikingly familiar features scrutinise me before taking three long strides to stand before me.
"You must be Aang, although for some reason I feel I've met you before." He murmurs to himself as he leans forward to scan me more closely.
I swallow, praying that he doesn't remember me from when I gave Zuko a lift to his house. After several long moments, he shakes his head and straightens up.
"We will discuss your imprisonment terms later, but for now, all you need to know is that I'm Ozai." The man voices in a tone that beckons no response. I jerk my head in acknowledgement before being dragged away with Katara to another cell. But not before I catch some of their exchanged chatter.
"Who's the girl?" I hear Ozai mutter.
"Insurance." Yon Rha replies. The last thing I hear is a grunt before we're pushed roughly into a cage at the back of the warehouse. Once again, one hand is shackled to a bar, but this time in a room that might as well be an armoury.
Meanwhile...
Sokka's POV:
I frantically grasp at the walls around me as I wonder where on earth am I.
"Dad?!" I call out in the darkness before a hand lands on my shoulder. I whip around, ready to bat it away when I can just about can make out my father's features.
"I'm here. Aang must've dropped us into the space underneath the house. Kya did always say we should've made a basement with all the extra room down here." Hakoda mutters to himself as he shakes his head.
"Does that mean there's a way out of here?" I ask with hopeful eyes, only for that hope to be dashed as my father rubs his neck sheepishly.
"No. I didn't think we needed a basement. But in hindsight it might've been a good idea to put some secret door down here." Dad muses to himself as he runs a hand down his beard.
"Dad this is serious! They took Katara and Aang!" I grit out which earns me a firm gaze from the older man.
"I think I know what's at stake here, more than you realise. I told you not to come back to the house." Hakoda berates seriously. I stare at him in disbelief.
"Did you really expect us to be ok with losing another parent?!" I retort sarcastically. The councilman releases a heavy sigh as he massages his temples.
"I expect you to be able to keep your sister safe. The last thing I anticipated was for you to show up with the boy that they've been hunting the last 8 years for." Dad rebukes. My jaws snap to a close as I stare at the man who in all my memory of him has never taken such a sharp tone with me. "Do you have your phone on you? We can call for help and try to relocate Katara and Aang." He continues.
Numbly I nod my head and remove my phone from my pocket. I gaze blankly at my screen for a few seconds before calling Toph. It takes several rings before she finally picks up.
"Who is it?" Her gruff voice greets my ears.
"Toph, I need you to get down here. My sister and Aang were taken and my Dad and I are trapped under our house." I spill in one breath. I can almost imagine the expression of disbelief on her face at the slight pause before she speaks up again.
"You know what, I'm not even going to ask what on spirits name happened. What's your address? I'll get my servant to fly me over there in no time." The earthbender questions as I hear her shuffling something in the background. Silently, I pray a quick thank you to the spirits for letting me be friends with someone that's rich enough to have their own helicopter.
"54 Tribe Lane. Thank you so much Toph." I say gratefully.
"Don't mention it. Sit tight, I'll be there in 10 minutes to bust you out and then we'll find the other two." She reassures before cutting the line. I almost smile at my phone. 'Toph doesn't show it often, but she's got a big heart.' I think to myself as I turn to my father who's raising his eyebrow at me.
"You know when I said call for help, I meant the emergency services, not your friend." Hakoda emphasises blandly. I give him an impish grin.
"Trust me, Toph will get here before any emergency service and can bust us out with her earthbending which is far more effective than any tool they'll use." I reassure with a wave of my hand, but the older man is shaking his head.
"Pass me your phone, we need every police officer to keep an eye out for the vehicle the gang left in." My Dad orders as he stretches out a hand.
With a sigh, I press my phone into his awaiting palm and watch as he rings a number before muttering a string of words that I can't quite catch. It's a few minutes later before he hangs up and returns the phone to me. "They've been notified, but I'm not sure what good it will do. I should never have you let you two get so close with the boy." The councilman berates himself as he runs a hand through his ragged hair.
"Dad it's ok. Katara will be fi-" I start, but I halt when my father flickers his haunted gaze to me.
"I appreciate what you're trying to do Sokka, but these men are wicked to the core. If they can burn down an orphanage with countless children in it then I don't dare think what they will do to my daughter." The seriousness in Dad's words sends a chill down my spine as I gulp and for the first time I truly comprehend the danger that Katara is in and it scares me.
"Why did they take her? I thought they only wanted Aang." I croak back as the councilman pinches the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know; leverage over the boy is my best bet. In fact, it's the only bet in which she'll be safe, so I pray to the spirits that's why they took her." My father utters, his voice strained. I chew my lip vigorously before opening it.
"Dad?" I ask quietly. He jerks his head up to look at me.
"Yes?" He voices as he prompts me to continue. I swallow, knowing it really isn't the best time to ask this, but asking questions is what I do when I'm anxious.
"How did Aang earthbend? He's meant to be an airbender." I ask, dropping the bombshell that I witnessed less than 20 minutes ago.
"Shoot." I hear my father curse as he gives his scalp a vigorous head scratch. "That was something you weren't meant to see. And for your safety, you need to forget you even saw it. Pretend you don't know." Dad urges as he clasps my shoulders tightly. I stare at him with wide eyes, before slapping his hands off me.
"Forget it? How can I forget that he can literally bend two elements?! That shouldn't even be possible!" I protest fiercely.
"Sokka!" My father snaps, his voice is so loud and sudden that I physically recoil from him. The man has always been my hero and I've always felt a sense of pride around him, but for the first time all I feel is betrayal.
"You're just as bad as Aang when it comes to hiding things. No wait, you're worse because at least Aang is just a kid." I claim angrily, as I turn away from my father and if there was enough space I'd have stalked off, but alas I'm stuck where I am as I simmer at all the lies and secrets.
"You don't understand that everything I'm doing is to protect you and your sister. What Aang is, is an undisclosed secret that has been kept for centuries. The knowledge of such is dangerous." Hakoda tries to explain patiently. I cross my arms over my chest and turn slightly to face him.
"Just answer me this, what exactly is he?" I demand. Confliction arises in his ocean reflected irises as he struggles to answer. In the end he dips his head to stare at the ground.
"Part spirit, known as the Avatar with the ability to bend all the elements. His duty is to protect the world, but Aang...he hasn't really taken up his training for it yet." At my Dad's explanation, I find myself turning the rest of the way as my arms flop to my sides.
"You mean he can bend water and fire too?!" I squawk back in disbelief. The older man jerks his head up in a stiff nod. "And that crazy glowing business he had going on?" I add, eliciting a loud sigh from the councilman.
"An enhancement of his power, but very dangerous if not mastered." My Dad mutters. Both of my hands go to scratch the crown of my head furiously.
"This is insane! You're trying to tell me that not only do they have one of the world's smartest kid, but they also have the world's dangerous and most powerful?! How was he not protected?!" I fire back in barely concealed frustration and disbelief as my mind subconsciously reminds me of our time at the mysterious library, 'Is that what the snake spirit meant about Aang not accepting his duty?' I wonder to myself.
"We didn't even know he was the Avatar till 2 years ago. And he's still just a boy. Getting an education is what the council thought was best for him." Hakoda argues, but I scrunch my nose at him.
"It sure sounds like the council decided nearly everything for him. After everything, I'm impressed Aang hasn't exploded yet." I mutter.
A flash of guilt contorts my father's features before he hides it behind a hand as he massages his forehead. I can tell he's about to justify the reasons for what was done to the airbender, but I never get to hear it as a large thump above us shifts our attention.
"Yo Snoozles, don't move. I'm getting you two out of there." Toph's familiarly loud voice penetrates through the thick earth above us.
Relief melts through my veins at hearing her. 'Thank the Spirits for Toph.' I praise silently. As I glance over to Dad, a fleeting look of something akin to both awe and determination crosses his features as he gives me a slight nod. Returning it, I flicker my gaze back above me. 'Katara I'm coming for you. You and Aang both. Just hang in there guys.'
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing the Kataang elements in this chapter, felt it flowed better than usual, or maybe that's just me XD I'm currently writing the next chapter, so that will prob come out in a couple of weeks or so. Also, sad news (or happy?) I think I've got a better idea of how many chapters are left and I'm pretty sure it's around the 50 chapter mark, give or take two. It's insane that this journey is nearly over, but I do have plans for a sequel if people are interested, but I'll collect your opinions on that later on. For now I just want to thank you all for being with me and hanging in there through the entire story, it means a lot. Anyway, until next time!
14/2/22